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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 26, 2013 TO FEBRUARY 3, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(For more on January 2013, see this.)

[Read more →]

ADULT SUPERVISION FOR MATERIAL ON MILITARY FAMILIES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Longtime readers of this site’s comments (that is, my mom) will know the name “Steve from MilitaryDisneyTips.com” as that of an expert who helps out all the time when I’m over my head on some of the complexities that military families face at Walt Disney World.  See for example this.

Disney World has a variety of great opportunities for military families, but since they exist at the intersection of two of the world’s great bureaucracies, sorting out who is eligible for what when can be a trial.

Steve has helped this site’s readers with these and other issues for years now, and now we’ve agreed to formalize this relationship and he’s become the “official” moderator of comments and questions on this site’s military family pages!

ABOUT STEVE

Steve brings both Disney World and military expertise.

His Disney World background began even before the Magic Kingdom opened, as he and his family began their Disney World story with a visit to the old Welcome Center.

Soon they visited the Magic Kingdom itself, and that’s been followed by dozens of visits since to Walt Disney World.  Moreover, Steve also worked for years as a Magic Kingdom cast member!

His cast member experience was preceded and followed by stints in the Air Force, from which he retired as a Chief Master Sergeant in 2012.

There’s nothing quite like the combination of being both a former very senior NCO and a former Disney World cast member for bringing insight and compassion to military families planning their Disney World visits.

Steve’s been combining these two skill sets for almost five years on his site Military Disney Tips and its associated blog.

I first ran across him, I think, in 2009 when I was expanding my material for military families and realized that my readers would often be better served from me just linking to his pages rather than writing a lot about stuff I only partially understand.

Since then we’ve become tight collaborators and friends, and, in trying to help our readers as best we can, we have sent tens of thousands of them to each other’s sites.  And he’s always been willing to take the time to help out when I’m over my head!

So I was happy as a clam when he said he’d be willing to formally take on the role of moderating this site’s military family comments!

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NEW FANTASYLAND SO FAR

In 2012, two major parts of Disney World’s Fantasyland Expansion opened: Storybook Circus, which opened bit by bit over the course of the year, and major parts of the Enchanted Forest, which opened formally in December.

Still coming are the Princess Fairytale Hall, expected to open in 2013, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, whose opening date–never formally announced–seems to be possibly slipping to 2014.

New Fantasyland was much hyped, and so far is a bit of a disappointment–although the only fair grade is “incomplete.”

The disappointment is partly that it doesn’t live up to the hype. For all the hoopla, so far there’s only two new attractions:

• One of them, Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, is ho-hum for all but big fans of the film
• The other, Enchanted Tales with Belle, while as good as anything at Disney World, has sharply limited capacity

In totality, though, New Fantasyland is a nice achievement.

Besides the two new attractions, it includes two fine new restaurants, a fundamental and successful re-theming of the area that used to be Toontown Fair into a fun circus-themed area, and a doubling of the low-capacity Dumbo.

For first time visitors, New Fantasyland is almost entirely positive.

• While Belle and Ariel have been well-represented at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for years, they are now much more profoundly present at the Magic Kingdom where, as princesses, they fit quite well.
• Each of the new dining options comes in at the top of its class–at a park where dining quality has been an issue for decades.
• The totality of the additions will absorb thousands of people at busier times, relieving a bit congestion in other parts of the park.

For returning visitors, the grade comes closer to “incomplete.”  

While there’s much to be charmed by at what’s been achieved so far, returning visitors will be more sensitive to the mismatch between hype and achievement, and there will be some who miss Snow White’s Scary Adventures or Minnie’s House.

But it’ll be interesting to see if Princess Fairytale Hall is more like the wonderful Enchanted Tales with Belle than, say, like the so-so Ariel’s Grotto, and of course the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has great potential.

If Seven Dwarfs is at least a “D” Ticket ride–an experience on par with, for example, Mickey’s Philharmagic–then New Fantasyland will end up being pretty special.

If it’s another “C” Ticket like Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, then this expansion–the largest in the Magic Kingdom’s history–really will go down as a profoundly missed opportunity.

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THE RAINFOREST CAFE AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY

All of this site’s eight night itineraries include an evening at Downtown Disney to see the amazing Cirque du Soleil.

And you gotta eat, so among the dozens of options available at Downtown Disney, the dining spot recommended in the itineraries is the Downtown Disney Rainforest Cafe.

Now the Rainforest Cafe is no Cress; it’s not even Whispering Canyon. But it is a wonderfully themed, usually reliable family dining spot.

DINING AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY AND THE RAINFOREST CAFE

There’s a variety of dining options at Downtown Disney, many either national brands or with some nationally known chef or celebrity in the name.

Rainforest Cafe is one of the national chains, which make some resist going there. I get this, but there’s only a couple of dozen of them in the country, in fewer than a dozen states, so for most families it will be new.

What makes it stand out among the Downtown Disney offerings is its distinctive and broadly appealing theming.

Rainforest Cafe has a…well…rainforest theme with elements of a safari tied in. The rainforest theme fills the ceiling, walls, and the spaces between seating areas, creating the impression you are in an active forest.

The theming is supported by animatronic figures of animals, which move every now and then, thunderstorms and lighting, and other effects.

This theming makes it fun for kids, and situates it well within an overall Disney World experience.

The menu is adequate without being special; not being special is usually good for kids! For menu details, see this. We enjoyed our meals–especially the “Awesome Appetizer Adventure.”

But the reason to go here is for the physical environment, not the food.  It’s the most fun restaurant for kids at Downtown Disney.

(You’ll find reviews saying that it’s loud and scary.  It’s no louder than most restaurants filled with kids, and it’s not scary for kids older than five who have already been on Disney rides.)

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 19, 2013 TO JANUARY 27, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(For more on January 2013, see this.)

[Read more →]

CELEBRATE THE MAGIC: A GREAT FOLLOW UP TO THE MAGIC, THE MEMORIES AND YOU

On our December visit we had a chance to see the new evening show at the Magic Kingdom, Celebrate the Magic.

This show replaces the stunning prior show The Magic The Memories and You, and is just as good–though a little different.

It continues the jaw-dropping transformations of Cinderella’s Castle, but leaves out the former show’s photos of park guests.  Instead, it has a much more extensive focus on classic Disney films and characters–making it even more fun to most, but a little less personal. [Read more →]